The Cie'th King's Tomb
by reinfleche
Summary: Different take on Snow and Lightning's reunion.


The catacombs of Yusnaan are dusty and filled with cobwebs, what seemed absent (and she isn't surprised by this) are the bodies that should be buried underneath the city. It's empty, and her footsteps echo throughout the hollow space. She holds up the lantern in front of her, squinting at the passageway. A faint moaning answers her curiosity.

"You sure about this Light?"

"Yeah."

The passage is long and dark, she practically has to squeeze herself into it just to fit. She raises the lantern above herself, it illuminates the stony path, rats and insects scatter at the light. Again, the moaning sound persists. She doesn't know what may lie at the end of the tunnel but it's a terror Yusnaan has tried to rid itself of. A soul that is beyond redemption the new Patron had said to her, though she's had her suspicions on it when she'd entered the place.

The man can't be trusted. His words are that of a politician, empty and flowery, meant only to reassure her for a brief instance, to send her on her way and nothing more. The passage ends abruptly when she spots the door. In it, she hears the sound again, this time it's louder and more pronounced. It sounds sad, devastated even but monstrous and throaty all at the same time. She pauses, for a second her courage gives way to a knowing (and yet unknowing) anxiety. As if she knows what to expect but doesn't know all the details of it. She pulls out the key the Patron has given her, puts it in the door and slowly turns it.

The room is dark and empty. She raises the lantern to it, it's small and cramped, there's a bed in one corner and nothing else in the others. She moves the light towards the farthest corner and then she sees it. It's huge and hulking form almost taking up that space. How could she have missed it? It doesn't move when the light touches him, instead it just breathes loudly and makes a muted moaning sound. There is no doubt about it. It's a Cie'th, a big one, blue scales jutting out of it and hardened skin. A huge red eye in the middle of its torso. It rises and Lightning can see just how massive it is. It's practically towering above her, the only thing stopping it from reaching it's massive height was the ceiling of the prison. It stoops down again and Lightning can already see what it's planning. She tosses the lantern in anticipation.

It rears itself up, then rams into her full force. She tries to move out of the way, but the passageway has barely enough room and the creature manages to smash through the walls that once held it in. It moves as if to filter out all of its pent up anger, growls through it's disfigured mouth-hole. She uses her sword to wedge herself from it's enormous girth. Manages to backflip away from the thing without it doing too much damage towards her. She stares at it for a while as it tries to gain it's bearings. There's a soft metallic ding on the floor that stops them both. She can see it through the lantern's muffled light, now somewhat petering off since she'd dropped it on the floor.

The pendant clatters helplessly on the ground and the Cie'th stops it's advance towards her. Instead, it reaches over to it, scoops it up in it's disfigured fingers. Turns it over in its hands. She's silent for a moment, watching the creature gently handling Serah's engagement necklace.

Hope is breathing on the blue tooth. "Snow, is that you?"

Hope may be hesitant but she isn't, she rushes up to Snow and jams the blade square in his chest. It (he?) staggers back from the force, moans painfully at the blow. Grips the necklace as tightly as it can in it's current condition and Lightning can see the last bit of Snow still left in the creature as it ebbs away from her.

"I'm sorry, it had to be done," she says, as it collapses to the ground.

She touches his now cold chest, where that one red eye once glowed ominously. His soul comes out faster than expected, it's white light illuminating the hallway, easily overtaking the dying flames of the lantern. She doesn't know why, but she feels colder after his soul enters her body though she never admits it to the person who now calls himself Hope, that she's been feeling a lot more emotions than she's been showing.


End file.
